Lauki
by Emma Criss
Summary: Lauren Lopez writes to one of her fans...
1. Chapter 1

FEBUARY

A young woman was sat in a taxi. She was wearing a floaty summer dress with a floral print, despite the fact that it was February, and a warm brown cardigan. She smiled as she remembered the first time she had worn the outfit she was wearing now, at LeakyCon. She grabbed a canvas bag bearing the slogan 'Totes just toted!' and thanked the taxi driver as she handed him a $5 bill and climbed out of the car. It had only been a short journey but she was tired, and wanted to get home. She had just been at the Up Comedy Club, doing a sketch show with a bunch of her friends. It was brilliant and the audience had loved it! After the show the performers had gone into the lobby to try and meet as many fans as possible.

The woman laughed to herself as she walked the short distance down the street to where she was staying as she remembered a particularly crazy fan who had asked Joe to pose with a lemon. She had been standing next to her friend Joe at the time, who had also been in the show, and had asked if she could also pose with the lemon, but the fan just looked at her and said- "That would make Lemon. No-one ships Lemon, but everyone ships Jemon! Y'know, Joe and a lemon, Jamie and a lemon… I totally ship Jemon, but JEMON! No way! Bleaurgh!" Suddenly the fan looked at her and delved into her bag. "Omideadwizardgod I almost forgot! I have a letter for you! It's from a girl who is absolutely in love with you but she lives in Holland so obviously she couldn't make it. Here you go!" The girl handed her a letter. "Thanks!" She had replied. "I'm gonna put it in my bag and read it when I get home, say hi to your friend for me!" After that she had moved onto another fan.

The woman dropped her bag full of tokens from the fans onto the ground and knelt down, trying to find her keys in yellowish glow of the streetlight. She pulled out the envelope the fan had given her earlier and saw her unicorn keyring underneath. She pulled at it and her bundle of keys came jangling out from underneath a tin filled with homemade gluten free treats. She straightened up, found the front door key, pushed open the door and grabbed her bag before stepping inside and kicking the door closed behind her. After slipping off her converse and leaving them and the tote bag in the middle of the hall, she made her way through to the living room, carrying the envelope. As she sat down on the worn sofa, a voice greeted her. "Hey Lo! How was it?"  
Lauren looked up to see Julia sat with a mug of cocoa with her laptop on her knee, typing a post for . "Hey Juls. It was awesome! They loved it! We might add a few more sketches in for next week, but we'll talk about it on Monday. Also, I got cookies! And someone took a picture of Joe with a lemon!" Julia laughed. "Those fans are the best!"  
Lauren smiled and crossed her legs on the sofa, then looked at the letter in her hand. There was a return address on it, The Netherlands. It amazed her that there was someone that far away who wanted to write to her. She opened it and started reading…

5 MINUTES LATER

Lauren slipped the letter into her keepsake folder, a place where she put everything the fans had given her. She smiled, and remembered the show from the week before. Afterwards, a boy had asked her to say hello to someone called Nikki. He had mentioned that she was from Holland. Could it be the same girl that had written to her? She grabbed a notepad and pen, and started writing.


	2. Chapter 2

1 WEEK LATER

It was a sunny morning, and Nikki put on her dressing gown as she dragged her feet towards the kitchen. She has just arrived home from a snowboarding holiday, and she hadn't really enjoyed it. All she could think about was her friends, and more importantly, her favourite member of Team Starkid, Lauren Lopez. Now she was back home she could go on the internet as much as she wanted, and watch and re-watch the video that her friend had put on facebook, of Lauren saying hello to her. Every time she watched it, or even thought about it, she couldn't help grinning, and getting a fluttery feeling. Lauren was so special to her. She inspired her, and thanks to the video, Lauren knew that she existed! Nikki had also written a letter to her, but Lauren was probably too busy to reply. She probably got loads of letters. Nikki felt a sinking feeling as she thought this. What would she give to get a letter from Lauren? She put her iPod headphones into her ears, and put 'Granger Danger' onto repeat. She didn't hear the letter drop through the door onto the mat as the postman made his morning visit. She grabbed a handful of cookies and headed back upstairs, pausing on the way to pick up the post that had just appeared on the doormat. She shuffled through it. Bills, magazine for mum, more bills, catalogue, letter- wait. A letter! No-one sends letters anymore; you can just use emails or the internet. And it was addressed to her! Nikki inspected it closely. The stamps were American! Could it be- no. It would never happen to her. Lauren would never write to her. It must just be someone from The Page that she had given her address to or something. Still with her heart in her mouth, Nikki went back to her bedroom, put down the cookies and carefully opened the envelope, pulling out the folded lined paper and opening it up. She scanned the letter to the bottom of the page, and read,

"Hope ya write back!  
Lotsa love,  
Lauren Lopez xxx"

Nikki dropped the letter.


	3. Chapter 3

THREE HOURS LATER

Nikki was still in a state of shock. Lauren had written to her! The letter had been about how she had got Nikki's previous letter, and how she really wished she could come to the show. It also had a doodle of a unicorn with Lauren and Nikki on it, eating cookies (Laurens had an arrow pointing to them saying 'gluten free'). Then Lauren had signed off saying she hoped Nikki would write back! Nikki had made several attempts to write something comprehensible, but reading the letter afterwards, it just sounded like a garbled mess. Nikki picked up the letter again, and re-read it. It was perfect. After looking at the unicorn doodle, she picked up a crayola and some plain paper and decided to draw a picture of herself, and what she was feeling.  
An hour later and Nikki put down her crayon. Her drawing was finished. It sprawled all over the page, and it was basically a simple drawing of Nikki, with flowers, rainbows and squiggly lines coming out of her. She had also found a little pot of glitter from a drawer in her desk, and had lavishly sprinkled it all over the paper. On the back of the picture she wrote a note to Lauren, explaining how she could really write what she felt, so she drew it instead. Then she pushed it into an envelope, grinning at the thought of Laurens face when she would see all the glitter.


	4. Chapter 4

JULY

Nikki squealed as she finished reading Laurens lasts letter. The last 5 months had been the best of her life. She and Lauren had kept regularly writing to each other since February, and they had really got to know each other. Lauren and Nikki had discovered they had a lot in common, including their love of food, and their general craziness! Lauren was really excited when Nikki had told her she had set up a Glow* group on facebook. However, nothing, NOTHING, would have prepared Nikki for what she would read in the most recent letter-  
"Hey Nikki!  
You told me that you're visiting England next month, and I know you couldn't get a ticket to LeakyCon, but I talked to Melissa Anelli (she runs Leaky ) and she told me that she could get me an extra VIP ticket, but the ticket holder would have to stay with us Starkids. I was thinking that if you were okay with it and didn't feel awkward or whatever sharing a room with us, then it'd be really cool if we could meet up at Leaky? I'd really love to meet you!  
Love, Lo-Lo xxx"

Nikki sat there, unable to digest what she had read. She was going to meet Lauren Lopez. It was unreal. It was like a dream! No- it was BETTER than a dream! After a while, she hurriedly scribbled a reply telling her that she would love to meet her and it would be totally awesome to go to LeakyCon!


	5. Chapter 5

AUGUST

Nikki stepped out of the airport and looked around for her taxi. Everything had been arranged for her, and sure enough, there was a smartly dressed taxi stood holding a sign that said 'Nikki. Destination, Grand Connaught Rooms, London.' She went over to him, wheeling her suitcase behind her. "Um, hi. I'm Nikki. I'm headed for London, so I guess you're my taxi thing." He smiled at her. Yes miss. Just hop in and I'll pop your suitcase in the boot."

The drive from Heathrow airport had taken an hour, but it had passed quickly for Nikki, who had stared out of the windows, taking in the sights of London. The end of the journey was the best. They had driven straight past Buckingham Palace, past a magnificent fountain and down a long red road the driver had told her was called 'The Mall.' Nikki twisted around in her seat to stare back at the tall white building and the golden fountain. They passed Charing Cross Road, and Nikki wondered if she would get a chance to explore it and see if she could find the Leaky Cauldron. Shortly after, they arrived at the hotel, and Nikki climbed out. The taxi driver handed her her suitcase, got back in and drove off. Nikki looked up at the hotel, and ascended the steps.

Inside the lobby, she stood, looking around. There were Harry Potter fans everywhere, dressed up and having the time of their lives. Nikki had included a picture of herself in one of her recent letters to Lauren, so she would recognize her when they were trying to find each other. Suddenly, about halfway across the room, a wonderfully familiar looking face appeared. Her brown eyes lit up as she met Nikki's. She waved frantically, and laughed as she half skipped towards Nikki, who was rooted to the spot. Lauren's face was lit up as she reached Nikki. "Hi Nikki." She said quietly. They looked into each other's eyes, transfixed.


	6. Chapter 6

Lauren grinned. "Omigosh! It's so awesome to meet you, Nikki!" She stood on tiptoes and hugged Nikki. Nikki stood, frozen and shocked for a second, before hugging her back. Lauren let go and looked at Nikki, expecting her to say something. Nikki's mouth opened and closed for a while. SHE HAD JUST HUGGED LAUREN LOPEZ. Slowly she became aware of Lauren staring at her, and she looked around frantically, trying to think of something to say that wouldn't completely make her embarrass herself. "Um … err… you- I- you're small." Nikki blushed. The first thing she ever said to Lauren Lopez was 'You're small". Great. Lauren feigned surprise. "What? Am I? You're fucking kidding me!" She laughed. "Of course I'm small, Nikki, I'm a hobbit! Tha-"

"DID SOMEONE MENTION HOBBIT?!" Meredith bounded up next to Nikki, dragging Brian Holden behind her by his shirt.  
"Yeah, I'm a hobbit, Mere. Nikki here" Lauren motioned towards her and smiled "said that I was short. And I said it's because I'm a hobbit."  
"Nu-uh!" interjected Meredith. "You're the right height, but your feet are too small. They _are _really hairy though."  
"HEY!" Lauren shouted, making all the people around stop their conversations and turn around to see what was happening. "My feet aren't hairy! That's mean! I'm gonna punch you now!" She ran at Meredith, who let go of Brian's shirt and ran away, teasing Lauren as she was chased around the hall.

Brian and Nikki both watched them for a moment. Brian laughed Lauren jumped onto Meredith's back and clung there, and then turned to Nikki. "Hey. Um… I guess you're Nikki?"  
"Yeah." she said quietly. She was still staring at Lauren, who was trying to give Meredith a piggyback. She collapsed as Meredith charged at her, and lay on the floor, giggling. Only seconds later, to the amusement of the fans, Lauren started rolling around and doing Draco impressions.  
"How was your journey?" Brian asked. I've never been to Britain before so I wasn't sure how reliable stuff was going to be. Was your taxi alright?" Nikki tore her eyes away from Lauren and smiled shyly at Brian. "Yeah, it was really good. The driver went past the Queens house and down this long red road, and everything looks so British! I'm glad I'm here now, though." Lauren reappeared by Nikki's side. "Brian, your girlfriends on the floor and screaming Gandalf quotes. You better go pick her up." She turned to Nikki. "Pain in the ass, right? Anyway, I'm hungry, and all my gluten free snacks are in our room, so grab your case and let's go!" She started walking towards the door of the building. "WAIT!" She spun around on her heels and her hair flicked over her shoulder. "I've got this for you. It's a VIP pass, it gets you into everything." She stood on tiptoe and put a laminated piece of card on a Starkid lanyard around Nikki's neck, gently lifting up the hair that was trapped underneath. She stopped for a moment before putting all of her feet onto the ground and grabbing Nikki's hand. "Come on! You have to see the hotel! It's amazing!"


	7. Chapter 7

**(Authors note: I love London! I've also stayed in Russell Square, coincidentally in the hotel (Imperial Hotel) next to Hotel Russell!)**

They set off out of the doors, Lauren chatting non-stop about anything and everything. Nikki's suitcase trundled behind her as they turned right out of the doors and up the fairly quiet side street towards the main road. They crossed the side street and then walked along the main road, crossed a side street and carried on. There were red double decker buses and black taxis roaring past, and the pavements were crowded with people all pushing. Someone tripped over Nikki's suitcase and shouted an insult at her as he passed, but was quickly quieted by Lauren shouting some very bad language back at him. Nikki grinned despite of it. Lauren was so… Lauren. She smiled to herself and looked up at the tall four storey buildings that towered over both sides of the street. Some of them looked as if they'd come straight out of a Harry Potter movie, with ornate stonework and architecture, and then there were glass fronted, steel framed buildings stood in-between the Hogwarts ones. The whole city had seemed like a jumble of old and new on her taxi ride to the Grand Connaught rooms and this part of London seemed no different. They reached a cross junction, and they waited for the racing traffic to stop. "Have you ever been to London before, Nikki?" asked Lauren. Nikki looked at her. "No. But it's beautiful. It's like someone's cut bits of Hogwarts and just plonked them all over the place!" Lauren smiled. "Father, Hogwarts has really gone to the dogs. That old coot, Dumbledore, has put it in the centre of London. I demand you transfer me to Pigfarts IMMEDIATELY!" She said in her Draco voice. "Oops, this is us!" A beeping came from the crossing and a green man lit up, indicating they could cross. They continued down the road, past a hotel with the British flag hanging outside. "Is this it?" Nikki asked.  
"NO WAY! Ours looks like a castle! Come on!" They hurried down the street, past greasy spoon cafés. The building's here were just made of breezeblock or brick, and looked considerably shabbier. There was also a group of adults in sweatpants, low slung jeans and hoodies grouped around a parked car, which had its boot open. A man stood next to it was swapping money the onlookers were offering for small packets. Lauren glanced back at Nikki, tilted he head towards the group and raised her eyebrows. They hurried the rest of the distance down the street, past a café called 'Suzie's Diner,' which had a cluster of tables with elaborately folded napkins set out under a canopy attached to the building, and came out into an open square. It was massive. "This," announced Lauren "is Russell Square. She paused for a moment, and so did Nikki. There was an immense park in the middle of the square, filled with sycamores, oaks and horse chestnuts. She would never have guessed that there was a space this big full of trees in the middle of a city. "It reminds me of Central Park," murmured Lauren, "except a lot smaller. Look, you can see our hotel!"They walked past a concrete hotel with 'Imperial Hotel' emblazoned on its front, crossed the road and came to a stop outside a magnificent building. Nikki gasped. "It's beautiful!" she exclaimed as she stared up at the elaborate building.  
"I know, right!" smiled Lauren. "Come on, let's go in!"


End file.
